


Protective Instincts (of Many Forms)

by F-117 Nighthawk (F117_Nighthawk)



Series: Dark Matter [7]
Category: Voltron: Legendary Defender
Genre: Galra Keith (Voltron), Gen, Keith & Shiro (Voltron) are Adoptive Siblings, Mind Meld, Supportive Lion Who loves Her Cub, Supportive Shiro (Voltron), bc it's the broganes show in this house, other people show up for a little but they're not focused on, speaking of which, that are also semi-adopted by the Holts
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2018-06-18
Updated: 2018-06-28
Packaged: 2019-05-24 19:06:37
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 4
Words: 5,862
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/14960369
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/F117_Nighthawk/pseuds/F-117%20Nighthawk
Summary: Keith's injuries during his Marmora Trials make Scarlet worried and furious enough to attack the base, and then Shiro has to deal with some implications of what they discovered.AKA: I can't stop writing Keith in the aftermath of TBOM this is at least the second time





	1. Scarlet Will NOT Calm Her Shit, Thank You Very Much

**Author's Note:**

> ITS SUMMER I'M OFFICIALLY A HIGH SCHOOL GRADUATE COLLEGE ORIENTATION ISNT FOR A MONTH AND YOU KNOW WHAT THAT MEANS FOR ALL OF YOU? I'M FINISHING DRAFTS AND POSTING SHIT!  
> This is 1/probably 3 that I know I'm gonna be posting, they're all Voltron. There MAY be more, we'll see, these three are all large projects that are half-written.
> 
> This one happened bc I was rewatching a while ago (I wrote the first 3000 words of this uhhhh ten months ago) and,,,, was Keith fighting??? for _two days???_ and I just really love Galra!Keith and some good old Broganes Angst

Keith stared at his knife as it glowed and extended to a full length, perfectly balanced, sword. What the  _ fuck. _

There was awe in Kolivan’s voice as he spoke: “You have awakened the blade. That can only happen if Galran blood runs through your veins.”

Again.  _ What the FUCK. _ He was  _ Galran? _

......Well, it wasn’t like he hadn’t had some inkling of that for a while. Originally, he hadn’t thought anything of it when he had activated the Imperial tech on the Balmera without using a drone, simply thinking Lance was dumb for not trying it himself. But later on the moonbase Pidge had said that only Galra could activate the tech and, well, it grew from there. Then there was Ulaz’s knife and various comments on how he “fought like a Galra” from several different parties. 

Still. What the  _ fuck. _

The base rattled and shook, snapping him back to the moment. If they wanted to survive this, he needed to calm Scarlet down. 

**_SCARLET. I’M FINE._ **

**You are not fine,** came a growl in his head in tandem with a ground-shaking roar,  **they have injured you. Anyone who injures my Paladin is not someone to ally with.**

**It was** **_my_ ** **choice to do this, Scarlet.**

Scarlet didn’t seem to hear that as another roar shook the asteroid and everyone stumbled. Debris fell from the ceiling and Keith fell into Shiro, crying out as his injured shoulder connected with his metal arm,  _ hard. _ Shiro caught him, gently lifting him upright and taking some of his weight.

“Paladin! Calm your beast!”

“I’m  _ trying,” _ he growled, closing his eyes and trusting Shiro to move him if anything was about to crash into them.

**Scarlet, if you don’t** ** _stop_** **then everyone on this base is going to be crushed.** **_Including me._**

She was growling a long low note, but the shaking in the base subsided.  **Get up here, cub.**

Keith pulled himself out of Shiro’s grasp and headed toward the elevator. He hid his instability by using it to weave around the debris now littering the ground. “Need to get to her or she’s gonna start attacking again,” he ground out.

The Blades seemed to realize that helping him get to his Lion was in their best interest and headed to the elevator as well. Shiro hurried alongside him; Keith could see the poorly hidden concern in his eyes. Kolivan poked a button as they got in and they ascended. Keith leaned against the wall and may have blacked out a bit as the next thing he registered was Shiro shaking his uninjured shoulder and Scarlet roaring. 

“Keith, Keith, come on, wake up. Please, come on.” He groaned and shifted and almost fell over, Shiro barely catching him. “Shit, you are not okay, we need to get you back to the Castle.”

“I’m. Fine.”

“Keith, you just passed out.  _ Again.” _

Keith shoved off Shiro and staggered out the elevator. Shiro followed close behind him; Keith could feel his eyes on him. There was another rumble and a beam fell from the ceiling between him and Shiro, blocking the older from reaching him. Apparently Scarlet had started attacking again when he passed out. “Keith! You okay?”

“I’m alive,” he yelled hoarsely.

“I’m gonna find a way around. Keep trying to get to Scarlet or none of us are gonna make it out.”

Keith nodded despite the fact that Shiro couldn’t see him. Nothing mattered right now but Scarlet, her roaring a warning to the others and a beacon to him. He walked through the base through sheer determination and the fact that he was somehow not in pain. He probably should have been unconscious from it at this point, or at the very least on the floor curled in a ball, yet here he was. Some bit of him wondered if Scarlet was somehow blocking his pain receptors or if this was some Galra thing he had never noticed before. He found his armor along the way and quickly slipped it on over the suit the Blades had given him. Moving his shoulder to put the chestplate on probably should have had him screaming in agony. 

Activating his helmet’s full faceguard he stepped through the airlock to where they had landed. “Scarlet. I’m here and I’m  _ fine. _ Please don’t attack the base.” He stepped forward and rested a hand on her snout. She was still growling at him, but he could hear the underlying worry now. At least she wasn’t tearing the base apart anymore.

He had no idea how long he stood there, left hand resting on Scarlet’s snout, until the door behind him oopened and Shiro rushed out, Kolivan and Antok behind him. “Keith.” Shiro skidded to a halt next to him and looked him over, face becoming even more concerned. Keith ignored him for now, focusing on keeping Scarlet quiet. The appearance of the two Galra had her hackles raised again and he was sure if he moved they would be bitten in half.

“We would like to accompany you to the Castle of Lions. Diplomacy is best face to face.”

“Now?” Shiro asked.

“Yes. The sooner we can set plans in motion, the better.”

Shiro looked at him, Keith looked back. “The Castle probably picked up Scarlet attacking the base. No one will be happy to see you. Perhaps it’s better if you stay here and we inform the Princess of the situation.”

“No. The path will open in a few dobashes and be closed for another five quintants. We do not have the time for that.”

Shiro sighed. “Alright. It’s not up to me who gets to ride, though.”

**Scarlet.**

She was growling again, expletives he didn’t know but had the general idea of hurled at the two Galra behind him. 

**Scarlet.**

She still wasn’t listening to him, weapons still powered and ready to shoot at a moment's notice.

**_SCARLET!_** He yelled through the bond. Her attention finally shifted to him. **We need to get back to the Castle and we need to take them with us.**

She snorted,  **I am not carrying those two. Who do you take me for?**

**A Lion of Voltron who will not jeopardize a potential alliance.**

**They** **_hurt_ ** **you.**

**And as I already said it was my own choice.**

**You did not choose to get your arm sliced half off,** she growled, low and demanding.

**Please, Scarlet. The faster you let them in the faster you can get me to the Castle.**

He could feel her attention shift from him to the two Galra, then back to him.  **Fine, but they do not get near my cockpit.**

“She says you can ride, but you’re not in the cockpit,” he managed to get out. He heard a soft sigh of relief from Shiro and moved his hand as Scarlet opened her mouth to let them in. Trudging up her ramp without looking back, Keith didn’t even remember climbing up to her cockpit and collapsing in his chair. He was vaguely aware of Shiro standing next to him and asking him something, but all he could hear was Scarlet growling as Kolivan and Antok settled in her cargo bay.

**I resent carrying them.**

**I know. It’s only to the Castle.**

She growled in his head and out. He had a feeling she was going to jettison the two Blades if he didn’t interfere.

“Please.”

Shiro was looking at him, he could feel his eyes on the back of his head, but he didn’t care. He concentrated on pouring his emotions out to Scarlet, begging her to just  _ wait _ until they got to the Castle,  _ please, _ just  _ get to the Castle.  _ Her growling transferred to just inside his head, furious but worried.

Her controls lit up under his touch, path through the gravity wells already lit up.  _ Just to the Castle _ became a mantra in his head as his shoulder decided now was a good time to just stop moving. It took ever more excruciating amounts of effort to move the levers; he was pretty sure that by the time they were halfway through the wells Scarlet had basically taken over for him. The comm had opened up and Shiro was saying something, but he was too focused on breathing, on moving his arms and feet so that they would keep moving, fine-tuning Scarlet’s movements.

He didn’t even register when they entered Scarlet’s hangar, only realizing when Shiro repeating his name managed to filter through the haze.

“What?”

“Come on, let’s go.”

He blinked at Shiro. If he moved while the Blades were onboard Scarlet was going to kill them. They had to be out of her range before he even thought of stepping out. She had been  _ ripping apart the base,  _ did Shiro not realize that? “Can’t.”

Shiro stared at him. “What?”

“Gotta keep Scarlet calm.” He hoped that was enough for Shiro because he wasn’t sure his mouth was going to work for many more words.

Some bit of Scarlet’s anger seemed to be communicated to Shiro and he sighed. “Fine. But once they’re offboard you come out. You need to get to the infirmary.”

Keith nodded and watched Shiro step out of the cockpit. 

**That was a stupid decision,** Scarlet said, **if I had known you were going to do that I would not have let you carry your knife.**

**It was my own decision, though, Scarlet. I needed answers, I got them.**

**There must have been a better way than that.**

It was getting harder and harder to form coherent thoughts at her.  **Maybe. But alliance.**

**Not at the cost of your life, cub.**

**Willing.**

**You should not be.**

**Have to be.**

**No, you do not have to be.**

**War.**

His thoughts were increasingly hazy, even Scarlet’s words were having trouble making sense. He could sense something that he thought was increasing worry behind Scarlet’s tone and brewing in the back of his head. Out the view screens he saw Kolivan and Antok probably far enough away that he could leave Scarlet. He stood up but something happened and he found himself on the floor, all the pain he hadn’t been feeling rushing back with the black encroaching on his vision.


	2. Watch Your Mouth

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Kolivan, despite being the Fury analogue, says a little more than he should without quite realizing it. Meanwhile, Keith's lost a little too much blood.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> the description of Keith's shoulder injury is a little graphic, if you wanna skip it it starts at "oh my god what did they do to him" and ends at "Coran's hand was covering Keith's shoulder" (so just the two short paragraphs under the first thing)

Shiro stood by Scarlet’s head, watching Allura interact with Kolivan and Antok. The Blade of Marmora’s leader was surprisingly reverent of Allura, bowing and removing his hood when he first saw her. While Shiro didn’t expect him to attack her, that was certainly not high on his list of expected reactions. He glanced between the two Blades and Scarlet, wondering how long Keith was going to have to stay with Scarlet. He tried to pay attention to the conversation, even asking a question, but most of his attention was on Scarlet. 

“Before I let you any further into my Castle, I must ask: why was Scarlet attacking your base?”

Shiro started and whirled around. If Kolivan answered that truthfully, Allura was not going to like it. 

“The Red Paladin ran through the Trials of Marmora.”

Okay, short and sweet, Shiro could handle that as long as no one asked-

“How does that explain Scarlet attacking the base?” Pidge asked. Shiro’s tensed, hoping that Kolivan wasn’t going to fully explain that.

“The Trials of Marmora are the initiation into the Blade of Marmora. I will not bore you with the history lesson, but they test the limits and battle prowess of an individual through endless battles. After that, their mind is tested. The Trials end in either knowledge, or death.”

_ “You made Keith do that?” _ Lance yelled, eyes wide with alarm.

“He chose to. He would not give up his blade, and thus he was offered a choice: knowledge or death. He lasted the longest anyone ever has. Surprising, especially for a half-galra with no training in our fighting arts.”

Aaaaaaand there it was. Shiro instantly switched over to damage control mode, trying to think of all the ways the others would react to that. He watched as what Kolivan said registered with everyone else.

Allura’s cold “What” broke the silence. 

“He is half-Galra. He would not be able to awaken his Blade without being at least part Galra, and his physiology has the signs typically associated with being an adolescent half-Galra. He is much like the other hybrids we have in the Blade of Marmora.”

Shiro was about to try and calm Allura down when Scarlet roared. It deafened everyone in the hangar and echoed ceaselessly. After a minute every Paladin seemed to realize that the other Lions were also roaring, a note of panic ripping across all their bonds. Scarlet lowered her head and bumped Shiro, sending him stumbling back a step. “What? Keith, hey, what?”

Scarlet bumped him again, slightly gentler, then a third and fourth time before opening her mouth and extending her ramp at his feet. He stared at her for a moment, confused, before Kuro’s voice echoed in his mind, rising with panic.  **Get Keith. Now.**

Eyes wide he dashed up Scarlet’s ramp and up to her cockpit. “Keith?” When he got no answer he ran further into the cockpit only to spot Keith sprawled on the floor. “Shit, Keith!”

Kneeling, Shiro looked him over. His armor was smeared with blood, way, way, way too much blood, red in so many places it shouldn’t have been. Shiro removed Keith’s helmet and touched a hand to Keith’s neck, feeling for a pulse. It was too fast, his skin pale and clammy.

“Kuro, any injuries that prevent me from moving him?”

**Scarlet says his right shoulder is the primary source of blood. It was cut deeply and likely should have as little movement or weight as possible. He likely also has fractured ribs and a sprained ankle. As long as you don’t further injure his shoulder he should be moveable.**

Shiro clamped down on the panic in the back of his head and stood back up. He jumped down from the cockpit and skidded down Scarlet’s ramp. “Coran, get a healing pod ready, stat. I think Keith’s in shock from blood loss. Lance, help me carry him. Allura, where’s the medpack in his Lion?”

Allura stared at him and for a moment he was worried she wasn’t going to answer him, but she said in a cold, disinterested tone, “In the lockers between the cargo bay and cockpit, like the rest,” and then turned on her heel and stalked off towards the bridge. 

Shiro didn’t have time to watch her go, running back up the ramp and finding one of the lockers had opened, revealing the medpack. At first glance it looked fully stocked, but it soon became clear that it was barely half full. “Thanks, Scarlet,” he told the Lion, grabbing the medpack and continuing to Keith. 

Kneeling down again, Shiro opened the medkit and realized that he couldn’t actually do much. Removing Keith’s chestplate was out of the equation as that would mean moving his shoulder which meant he wasn’t going to be able to remove his undersuit, which in turn meant he wasn’t able to access Keith’s injuries. He took a deep breath and looked up to where Lance was standing in the doorway. Lance’s face was pale, staring at all the blood on Keith’s armor. 

“Lance. Come over here.”

Shiro watched as Lance took a deep breath and a determined look took over his still-pale face. “Right, okay, what do I need to do?”

“His right shoulder is the worst off so we need to not jostle it. Do Alteans have stretchers?”

There was a resounding  **no** from Kuro, which Shiro was pretty sure Azul had echoed if the concern and fear that quickly passed over Lance’s face was anything to go by.

“What species doesn’t have stretchers,” Lance muttered, “Okay, so we need to carry him. You know more about his injuries than me, where am I grabbing?”

“Take his left side, be careful with his ribs though. I’ll take his right and deal with his shoulder.”

Slowly and carefully, they hauled Keith up so he was semi-standing and carried him out of his Lion. Kolivan and Antok were gone, presumably having followed either Allura or Hunk and Pidge. It was slow going to the infirmary, their grip on him awkward to prevent further injury. When they finally got there Pidge was standing by an activated healing pod with Hunk, Coran flitting around the room. 

“Get him out of his armor and into one of the suits,” the Altean said, pointing to what looked like an operating table. Shiro and Lance gently set Keith down and removed most of his armor.

“How do we deal with his chestplate?”

Coran bounded over with a scanner and looked over Keith’s shoulders. “The armor should have release clasps for emergencies such as this. Honestly I’m surprised he managed to get it on at all. Ah, here they are.” Coran poked something on Keith’s sides and his chestplate hissed, breaking in half. Shiro removed the top half and winced in horror as Keith’s shoulder was revealed. The blood had soaked through the undersuit and his shoulder was clearly not at the right angle. 

“Oh my, what suit is that?” Coran asked, looking at the undersuit the Blades had made him wear. 

“A gift from the Blades, he had to wear it to go through the Trials. There should be a button to release its pressure-here.” Shiro pressed in one of the glowy neck things and the suit made a hissing noise, releasing in the back. Lance moved to help Shiro get Keith’s undersuit off. They managed halfway before they both caught sight of Keith’s bare shoulder.

“Oh my god. What did they  _ do _ to him?”

Keith’s shoulder was cut well over half through. The edges of bone had rubbed against each other and the sides of the wound, nerves and blood vessels torn. The muscles in his shoulder were torn to shreds, ligaments torn, the joint itself in pieces. The wound was still bleeding sluggishly, deep red coating the skin and pooling in the wound. If the cut had gone through any more it would have torn his shoulder clean off. 

Shiro had to resist the urge to throw up. How had Keith even been moving his shoulder? He had sustained that wound early on in the fight and yet he’d still  _ thrown his knife with perfect accuracy _ using that shoulder. Had it gotten steadily worse throughout the fight? He’d been using it to  _ fly _ on the way back. “Oh god.”

Coran’s hand was suddenly covering Keith’s shoulder. “Paladins. Get his suit off.”

They worked the Marmoran suit off him and slipped the pod suit up to his shoulders. Coran’s hands were still covering Keith’s shoulder; he took over slipping the suit onto Keith’s arms. “Alright, into the pod with him.”

The four Paladins and Coran stared at their teammate once he was finally in the pod. They were silent, worry the pervading emotion in the room.

Eventually, Coran worked up the courage to walk over to the monitor. “Well, he’ll be in there for at least two quintants, but assuming the Castle doesn’t suddenly lose power in the next quintant he should be fine. Gonna have a nasty scar, though.”

There was another long silence.

“Shiro,” Pidge asked, hesitant, “Is what Kolivan said true?” The others in the room turned to look at him. 

Shiro sighed and pinched the bridge of his nose, closing his eyes. What was the best solution here? Should he tell them? Wait for Keith to wake up and tell them? Wait for Keith to tell them and deny it all until then? He didn’t know which option would be betraying his trust.

“I don’t-I don’t know how much Keith wants me to say.”

“That’s not a no,” came Pidge’s soft voice. Shiro opened his eyes and saw her standing in front of him. Lance and Hunk had moved to her sides and were staring at him with concern and maybe apprehension in their eyes. Lance was fidgeting with the hem of his shirt, Hunk’s arms were crossed like he was hugging himself, Pidge was silent and still. 

“It’s not a no.”


	3. No Matter What Happens

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Shiro makes a call and Keith is reeling.

Shiro stared at the healing pod Keith was in. The others had left him in there, Hunk dragging Pidge and Lance to get food and Coran going to find Allura. He had stayed behind, wanting some time think and unwilling to leave Keith alone right now. He wasn’t really sure how to process the fact that Keith was part-Galra. Half-Galra, if Kolivan was to be believed. Keith was his little brother, he’d known him half his life. Sure, Keith had oddly strong night vision, actually purple eyes, and instincts straight out of Star Wars, but none of that had Shiro going “this boy is not fully human.” He’d always just chalked it up to Keith’s love of carrots, or his years in the foster system, or weird lighting. 

Keith was nothing like the other Galra they had met. He wasn’t Zarkon or any of the Imperials. They were cold, hard, and unforgiving. They were a warrior race, no hesitation to kill or take prisoners and send them off to fates worse than death. He wasn’t even like any of the Blades. The Blades could be cold, but they also fought to protect, infiltrated to take down, killed only when they had to and took prisoners but did not treat them like playthings. They were hot-headed and instinct driven, jumping in and shooting first, asking questions later, self-sacrificing, confident and with good reason, kinetic, graceful on their feet, loyal to a fault, strong unyielding fighters, and.....

Shiro realized he was, in fact, describing Keith. 

Huh.

The similarities in their fighting styles had been obvious during Keith’s Trials run, but Shiro hadn’t seen it until now. Keith fought in the same way the Galra did, mobile legs and upper body strength, telegraphing little and hitting hard. They both had a natural instinct for where to hit where it hurt, where to cause the most damage. Keith even piloted like he fought, now that he thought about it. He knew where to hit, piloting Scarlet like they were one consciousness with an economy of movement Shiro didn’t even know was possible in a spacecraft. Even beyond their fighting styles, Keith had so many similarities to the Blades that Shiro was honestly a little shocked that no one had figured anything out before now.

Keith was probably going to want to learn about his Galran heritage, right? Kolivan seemed the best person to ask there, he would at least be able to point him in the right direction. But maybe not right away. He’d need an adjustment period of some sort; this had to be a huge revelation. Whether he would  _ get _ that knowledge was a different matter. Allura was unlikely to give up one of her paladins for any length of time, especially....

Especially given her reaction to Kolivan telling her that Keith was half-Galra. It was...it was almost like she thought he was an Imperial, now. Something poisoning the purity and strength of Voltron. Something inherently  _ bad. _

Shiro sighed and walked over to the comms console. Allura was a problem that he probably couldn’t solve straight away, but there were other things he could deal with.

Like the fact that if Keith was half-Galra, the Galrans had been on Earth at least 18 years before they had thought. And that wasn’t good. He pulled up the recording software and thought for a moment. 

“Uhm, hi Mrs. Holt. No, you’re gonna tell me to call you mom again. Hi, mom. We’re.... Fine? I guess? Keith’s pretty badly hurt but...he’s gonna be okay. Pidge is fine, Lance is fine, Hunk is fine. Well, there are things they’re gonna have to process but I know them, and they’re gonna be fine. Anyway. On the same mission Keith got hurt we acquired some intel from new allies and, well.

“The Galra were on Earth at least eighteen years ago. One, more than one, I don’t know. At least one was probably friendly to Voltron, but there might’ve been more that weren’t so friendly. I wish I had more information than that, but until Kolivan is satisfied with us I doubt he’s going to give us anything more. I don’t even know if he knows anymore.

“Just...be careful, alright? If they found Earth once, they can find it again. Azul is no longer there, but that doesn’t mean they don’t realize what Earth is to us. Sooner or later, Earth  _ will _ get attacked. And we may not be able to provide warning.”

Shiro sighed and looked over his shoulder at Keith, lying in the cryo-pod. “Keith...you might not see him for a while, he’s gonna have a lot to deal with when he wakes up. But....whatever happens, whatever he tells you or doesn’t tell you, he’s still  _ Keith. _ ” He paused, eyes drooping in sorrow for a moment. “Some of us need to remember that.”

“Shiro! What are you still doing in here?”

Shiro turned and found Lance standing in the doorway, hands on his hips.

“Making sure Keith’s okay?”

“You’ve been standing in the med bay for well over a quintant.”

“.....oh.”

_ “Go the fuck to sleep.” _

Shiro huffed a laugh as he pressed the stop button on the comm unit. “Alright, alright, I’ll sleep.”

“Good.”

“I don’t really...wanna leave Keith--”

“I’m staying here at least until Pidge gets her head out of Scarlet and joins me.”

Shiro blinked. “Scarlet’s letting someone work on her without Keith around?”

Lance shrugged. “Apparently? That’s not the important thing right now, what’s important is you need to  _ sleep.” _

“Okay! Let me send this to Electron to send out in the next batch and then I’ll go to bed.”

It took two more quintants for the pod to beep that Keith was a few minutes away from being released. Shiro had sent the other three paladins to bed, citing the clear circles under their eyes and the fact that if they had forced him to sleep then he was allowed to force them to sleep. He’d only seen Allura once in the past three quintants, a very short stop to see how Keith was doing. She hadn’t spoken a word. Coran had been flitting in and out, checking on Keith and bringing food for whoever happened to be in the room. So when the pod beeped, Shiro was the only one in the room.

Shiro caught Keith as the pod released him, guiding him gently over to the examining table nearby. “Hey. How’re you feeling?”

“Like I got stomped on by a Lion.”

“So better?”

“Yeah probably.”

Shiro poked the table’s controls and glanced at the monitor. “Well, you seem fine now. Could probably use some actual sleep.”

“Mmmm.”

They were silent for a moment. 

“Shiro--I--” Keith stared at his hands, clenching and unclenching them. “I’m sorry.”

“For what?”

“For--for bringing the blade--and insisting on answers and--and--if I hadn’t then--I’m  _ sorry--” _

Shiro sat down next to Keith. “Hey, you have nothing to be sorry for. Yeah, maybe you weren’t supposed to bring the blade, but I highly doubt we would’ve gotten our alliance without you going through the Trials of Marmora, so it turned out alright in the end.”

“But it’s  _ not _ alright! I’m--I’m  _ Galran.” _

“And?”

“And what? I’m part of the same people that--that took your  _ arm,  _ that killed Altea, that enslaved half the universe. Why are you still here? Why didn’t Allura just--just space me after I passed out or whatever happened?”

“Whoa, hey, hey, Keith, calm down. You’re not part of the same people that did all that. That was the  _ Imperials, _ not the Galra as a whole. We just proved that there are Galra on our side with the Blade, and I’m willing to bet whoever your mother was was not an Imperial. Otherwise, we wouldn’t have Azul and Earth would be under Imperial occupation. And, even if she was an Imperial? It doesn’t matter. You’re a Paladin of Voltron. You’ve proven time and time again that you are a  _ good person.” _

“But Allura--”

“Allura doesn’t have  _ any _ say in who the Paladins are. Only the Lions do. Scarlet made it  _ very _ clear on the base that you are her Paladin before anything else.”

“She shou--”

**Keith.**

Keith closed his eyes and pressed the heels of his hands against them. He didn’t respond, didn’t feel like he  _ could, _ but tried to leave himself open to her.

**You are my Paladin, no matter what you are. When you first bonded with me, when we first formed Voltron, I could feel that there was something different about you compared to the other humans. Something Galran. But I did not care. All that matters to me is that you fight for what is right, what is** **_good._ ** **And you do. So do not doubt yourself or others, Paladin. Nothing about you has changed with this knowledge.**

**Scarlet--**

**_No matter what happens, you are still my cub._ **

He could feel Scarlet’s warmth curling around his mind. She was comforting but firm, a reassuring fire that would never burn him. Tears welled up in his eyes, his conviction that everyone was going to hate him cracking. Even then, he wasn’t quite able to give up the anxiety, the pain and confusion, everything that the Trials had brought crashing down upon him. 

Keith opened a tear-filled eye and looked at Shiro, who clearly knew that Scarlet had been talking to him. “Why are you still here?”

“What?” Shiro’s brow furrowed.

“You have every right to hate me--hate my Galra side. Why are you still here?”

“Because you’re my brother, and I love you.”

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> ;;;; my chilDREN  
>  ~~yes that's a season six reference I have every intention of referencing it again when I write my version that scene (bc my original headcanon for what exactly happened to a certain character is slightly different than was revealed and I want this series to stick to that; it is basically canon divergence after season three anyway so)~~


	4. Trust

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Pidge, Lance, and Hunk try to work on Scarlet. It goes, surprisingly, according to plan.  
> (takes place midway through last chapter)

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I thought I was done but apparently I'm not oops

Pidge hesitantly entered the Lion’s hangar. Jade turned her head slightly, already aware of why Pidge was here.  **You realize how futile this is.**

**Maybe it won’t be. She knows that we might need her as soon as he wakes up. Might as well be me to fix it.** She patted the Green Lion’s muzzle and turned to where the Red Lion was curled in the corner. 

Before she took a step the doors swooshed open behind her and Hunk and Lance stepped into the hangar. “Oh, hi, Pidge. Checking up on the Lions?”

“I was gonna try and fix Scarlet’s leg, yeah.”

Hunk nodded sagely. “Think she’ll be more likely to let us without Keith around if all three of us are there?”

She shrugged. “No.”

“Well, maybe she just needs a good distraction, courtesy of Lancy-Lance!”

Pidge raised an eyebrow at Lance as he sauntered over to Scarlet. “How would you being a distraction help?”

Lance turned around to face her. “I mean, I know  _ I _ wouldn’t want people setting my bones and stuff without someone I trust around as a distraction.”

Pidge and Hunk both froze in place, twin looks of horror on their faces. The realization dawned on them that yes, fixing the Lions was akin to setting a bone, or bandaging a wound or, at worst, performing surgery. It probably came with the pain and frustration that accompanied such things for humans. 

No  _ wonder _ Scarlet didn’t let people work on her without Keith around. Just as she was a grounding force for him, a rock to latch onto, something to focus with, a comforting presence in the back of his mind, he was the same to her. Just as all the Lions were like that to the Paladins, the Paladins were a comfort for the Lions. Pidge reached out to Jade with this new realization in the forefront of her mind. A gentle confirmation drifted back. 

**I’m sorry.**

**You have nothing to be sorry for, young one. It is simply a fact of our existence.**

**But—but I can try and** **_help_ ** **I can make an anaesthetic or something—**

**Pidge. If you could create one I would love to help you test it. But you are losing focus.**

Right. They still had to fix Scarlet’s leg. Without Keith around. Pidge took a deep breath and started walking towards Scarlet again. Hunk, probably having gone through the same thought process as her, stayed at her side. Azul, Sama, and Jade all scooted themselves closer to Scarlet. Pidge could tell they were keeping their distance enough so that Scarlet didn’t feel trapped, but were close enough to provide support.

Lance, meanwhile, was bouncing on the balls of his feet in front of Scarlet’s muzzle. “Heyyyyyy, girl, do you think you can let us fix your leg? It probably hurts, and we really wanna get you back and roaring again.”

One of Scarlet’s eyes started glowing yellow, like she was sleepily opening it. Pidge got the distinct impression she was glaring at Lance much like her Paladin did.

There was silence in the hangar for a moment. Nobody moved.

“Iiiiiiiis that a no?”

Scarlet huffed.  **One condition,** Jade, Sama, and Azul broadcast to the three Paladins for her.

Lance, Hunk, and Pidge looked at each other. “What condition?”

**You don’t hurt Keith.**

They all knew that there was only one reason that she would be talking about this right now: what Kolivan had said was true. Keith was half-Galra, and Scarlet was prepared for the worst case scenario for their reactions. “Scarlet—”

**Promise me. Promise me you won’t hurt him. I will not let him lose another family.** Even filtered through the other Lions, Scarlet’s protectiveness and concern were evident. 

Hunk shuffled forward a little. “Look, I know I haven’t really known Keith for that long, but....I do care about him. He’s a friend.”

Lance stepped up next to him. “Yeah. I know I keep up the rivalry thing but....it’s just kinda a weird way of showing him I care? And I do care. A lot. A  _ lot. _ Being half purple and fuzzy isn’t gonna change that.”

Pidge stepped up to Scarlet and rested a hand on her snout. She’d seen Keith lose family. She’d lost family with him. Images flashed through her mind: the first time she’d seen Keith, dragged after his newly adopted brother to their house, him stepping out of their car, supported by Shiro, his left arm in a bright red cast and bruises all too visible, his bloody hand after he’d punched a wall, the TV blaring about the Kerberos mission in the background. “He won’t lose me,” she croaked, pushing the feelings back, “I’m not losing another brother.”

Lance rested a hand on her shoulder. She could feel him look her over, concerned, before he turned to Scarlet. “We’re not gonna hurt him, Scarlet.”

There was a long moment of silence where none of them moved. Suddenly, with another huff, Scarlet shifted and stuck out her damaged leg, then closed her eyes.

**She says thank you,** the other Lions told them,  **and if Lance would be so kind to be a distraction, she wants to know more about Earth. Something other than deserts.**

Lance’s eyes lit up and he clambered onto Azul’s nearby paw.  _ “Well. _ Let me tell you about this glorious thing called the  _ ocean.” _  
  


**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I only realized that I'd accidentally created a "Lions can feel pain" headcanon halfway through this and now I'm sad


End file.
